Pats playoff update

Head coach Curtis Hunt did something a little different on Tuesday when he cancelled practice, allowing everyone to go their separate ways after a team meeting.The intent was to give the players an extra day off to recover for the playoffs, which begin Friday night at the Brandt Centre against the Swift Current Broncos.Typically, the day off would be Monday, but Hunt didn’t want the Pats slipping too far out of routine after they completed the regular season on Saturday night in Brandon. So, after a partial day of rest on Sunday, he brought them back for a normal practice on Monday, then cut them loose Tuesday.From an outsider’s point of view, it appears to be a sign of a confident team when the head coach doesn’t spend every available minute pounding details into the players’ heads, which is an obvious temptation. The Pats have shown a quiet confidence and businesslike focus while playing some of their best hockey down the stretch. Perhaps there’s no sense beating a dead horse in terms of their preparation.The mental and physical health of the team appears to be the priority at this juncture. We’ll see if it pays off.— — —NOTES: As of early Tuesday, the Pats had sold just 3,700 tickets for Game 1 on Friday. The Brandt Centre holds 6,200 . . The Pats have organized a fan bus for Games 3 (Tuesday) and 4 (Wednesday) in Swift Current. Seats can be booked by calling the 522-PATS . . . Red Deer Rebels LW Troy Ofukany and D Mark Louis have joined the Central Hockey League’s Rocky Mountain Rage on a tryout basis. Both players are 20 and completed their WHL eligibility at the end of the regular season. Red Deer missed the playoffs. Ofukany started the season with the Pats, who traded him and D Juraj Valach to Red Deer for D Dallas Jackson.

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